


In the Citadel of Susa, III

by Daegaer



Series: In the Citadel of Susa [3]
Category: Ancient Persia, Megillat Ester | Book of Esther, תנ"ך | Tanakh
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Eunuchs, Gen, Kings & Queens, Persia, Persian Empire, Queens, courtiers, palace plots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 11:18:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3379586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vashti finds herself remembered.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Citadel of Susa, III

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LaDonnaErrante](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaDonnaErrante/gifts).



> Thank you to my beta-reader, Puddingcat!

In the days of Artaxerxes the son of Darius, and his queen, Esther-Hadassah the daughter of Mordecai, a palace plot to kill all Yehudites living in the King's lands was made, for the chief courtier of the King hated Mordecai as no man has ever hated another. So he went to the King, when he saw that Mordecai returned his feelings, and did not bow before him, and said that the people of Yehud were all traitors who did not follow the laws of the King, and that he himself would gladly pay for their extermination from the face of the land. Artaxerxes was always glad to make those about him pleased, and was happy to press his seal to the document Haman his courtier held out, and then King and courtier drank wine cooled by snows brought many miles packed in straw, and laughed at the foolishness of provincials who thought they could evade the justice of the King of Kings. 

Of all this, Vashti and Esther at first knew nothing, sitting in their different apartments, but those whose task it was to stand near the King and serve quietly looked sidelong at each other as he and Haman laughed, and weighed up their options and what to think of the one of their number who was Yehudite. That one kept his placid smile in place and when it was clear he was momentarily unwatched, he slipped away, leaving the others to gossip amongst themselves.

Persuaded from his evening meal by an overly-nervous door-guard, Hegai stared down the young and, he thought, possibly dangerous young person standing before him. He had not, however, spent his own life climbing to a position of some authority without knowing that experience and wide-ranging acquaintances and friendships were more than equal to the bloom of youth and the momentary attention of powerful men.

"You have perhaps lost your way," he said waspishly. "There's nothing to interest you here, just rooms full of women."

The boy gave him a charming smile that Hegai had to admire in its sheer imperviousness to insult. "Sir, I know a person such as myself has no business seeking entry to the royal ladies' quarters –"

"No. The royal ladies do not wish to know you exist. Go on, now. You have your duties, I have mine." He turned away.

"Wait! I have a message for Her Majesty, Queen Esther." 

Hegai turned back in astonishment. "Do you, you insolent puppy! I should slap your face!"

The boy lifted his face somewhat tauntingly, as if presenting a tempting target. "His Majesty would be – disappointed," he said.

Hegai glared at him. "Don't snap at me, puppy. You may think your teeth are sharp, but they're still small. I'm not bothering the Queen with any message from you; just go away."

"It concerns her people! Her family! She needs to know, she can use it!" the boy said in a rush. "Perhaps others can use it too, for Her Majesty that was –"

He broke off as Hegai's hand grabbed his arm tightly and he was pulled into the women's quarters. 

"Must you speak so loudly in the corridors?" Hegai hissed. "What do you care of Her Majesty that was, let alone the Greatest of Ladies, Her Majesty the Queen?"

"Queen Vashti was not harsh with me, even though I should not have been sent into her presence. I don't know what the king was thinking, having her summoned out in public like a dancing girl –"

"Learn to curb that tongue if you want to keep it," Hegai muttered. "You mean, _the order was given under the evil influence of his advisors_ , I believe."

"She was beautiful and brave, and defied an evil order. And her Majesty the Queen must do the same! Even now Lord Haman has persuaded His Majesty that all Yehudites in the kingdom must die. She could ask Her Majesty that was how best to persuade the King -"

"Wait," Hegai said. "Why do you care about the fate of the Yehudites?"

The boy looked younger and suddenly terrified. "I'm Yehudite – I'd be all right, I think, but my family –"

Hegai tapped his finger against his lips, looking at the beautifully dressed, frightened boy. "Do you have a _name_ , puppy? I suppose I may need to speak of you now and then."

"Mehuman – it means _faithful_."

"Another faithful eunuch; I suppose I have to accept you as some sort of sign from God, though I _will_ verify anything you tell me for myself," Hegai said sternly, and then, "Oh, by God, boy, stop _grinning_."

* * * * *

There was commotion all through the palace, and Vashti stood in silent prayer for hours, begging the Wise Spirit and all the powers of Heaven to preserve her children in whatever trouble was taking place. She prayed also for the King, for if Artaxerxes died then surely a kinsman of his would look at her son, a mere child arrayed as King of Kings, and would move to take the throne for himself. She prayed last of all for herself, that the girl-queen instructed by Hegai would truly act as a pleasant woman and not as a Queen.

She knew none of her prayers had been heard when the outer doors of the rooms opened and soldiers entered. She stood, so that she would at least not die cowering from the assassins, while the attendants ran and hid in corners, demurely bewailing her fate quietly, as if they truly grieved.

The soldiers stopped just inside the door, and formed two short lines of three men each. They did not look her way, nor did they put their hands to their swords. Behind them, a small group of women and eunuchs hurried in, looking around in fear, and Vashti clenched her fists not to make a sound. She knew their faces, she thought; they were servants from the royal harem. Of no great rank, certainly, and they had neither served nor spoken directly to her before, but she knew their faces. They all bowed and made hasty yet sincere obeisance, touching their fingers to their lips and gazing at her with respect and relief. It was all she could do not to seize the nearest maidservant by the arms and embrace her.

"Madam," one of the maids said, "we've been sent to escort you from this place, under the protection of the royal guard."

Vashti stepped forwards, as if under a spell, and they surrounded her. She walked out of the rooms that had been all she'd known for over a year, three soldiers before her and three behind, in the middle of the group of servants, leaving her jailor-attendants kneeling in the dust. A light-toned voice whispered, "Master Hegai says, _You are safe, Greatest Lady._ " She wasn't sure if it was one of the women or the eunuchs who had spoken. She straightened her back and walked faster.

The royal women's quarters seemed more luxurious than she remembered; the carpets were soft under her feet, the walls freshly painted and the air was sweet with incense. To her horror, Vashti was led to an inner room in what had been her own apartments, where she found Artaxerxes reclining on a couch, sipping wine, a young woman in a heavy silk-brocade gown sitting on a chair opposite him, smiling at his pleasantries. Artaxerxes met her eyes and flushed, as if ashamed. Vashti and all the servants with her went down in the full prostration, and he laughed a little uneasily as they rose.

"Ah, you're here! You took your time answering my summons, but here you are at last." He peered at her and turned to the young woman opposite him. "Are you sure you're right, my dear?"

"His Majesty knows that his false advisor would have gladly had all His Majesty's Yehudite subjects massacred," she said. "I am grateful beyond words that His Majesty has granted me the lives of my people, for I am sure that Haman would also have slain this poor woman in your own palace."

"Vile man," Artaxerxes said, drinking more deeply. "I thank God that I was sent a true and good wife to tell me of his evil. You know, I never saw it till now, but you're right, she _is_ Yehudite." He swung his legs off the couch and stretched. "I'm of a mind to give your father his enemy's position. Do as you will with this Yehudite woman."

He walked out as they bowed. Vashti raised her head to meet her replacement's eyes.

"I'm not Yehudite," she said. 

Esther smiled slightly. "I did not say you were – quite. The King said so, and I will not gainsay him."

Vashti sighed, her life given to her falsely. "My God says, _Abhor the Lie_."

Esther stood and faced her. "Mine says, _Choose life_. I think you should. Hegai will help you leave the palace, and my father will establish you in a household so that you may live in all honour and comfort. Your children will be safe here, under my care. Your story has not ended – choose life, Lady Vashti."

 _Yes_ , Vashti thought. "Your Majesty," she said, and attempted to prostrate herself. 

"No," Esther said, putting out a hand to stop her. "Don't bow down to me. Go in peace, Lady Vashti. We shall not see each other again." She signaled to the attendants. "Take the Lady to Hegai." 

Vashti went with them, each step lighter and lighter. _My story has not ended_ , she thought. _I choose life_.

* * * * * * * * * *

Source: [Vashti](http://www.fineart-china.com/htmlimg/image-51811.html), by Edwin Long

**Author's Note:**

>  _Abhor the Lie_ \- Royal inscriptions from ancient Persia often contain the king's religious statement that “I abhor the lie and pursue the truth”. Herodotus summed up the education of Persian noblemen as learning "to ride, to shoot the bow and to tell the truth." This reflects the call for humans to ally themselves with Truth and the Wise Spirit, Ahura Mazda, in both early and later Zoroastrianism.
> 
>  _Choose life_ \- Esther quotes Deuteronomy 30:19, "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live . . ." Tactfully, she does not give the context of following Jewish Law, given that she's speaking to a devout Zoroastrian.


End file.
